Cable-grip



2 sheets-sheet 1.

(No Model.) E. SCHALK.-

CABLE GRIP N o.'449,139. Patented Mar,- 31, 1891.

me mams PETERS co., mofumo., wAsmN 2 sheetssheet 2. E. SCHALK..

CABLE GRIP.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EMIL SCIIALK, OF PIERMONT, NElV YORK.

CABLE-GRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,139, dated March 31, 1891.

Application iiled May 1, 1888. Serial No. 272,422. (No model.)

To all zcwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL SOHALK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Piermont, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Car- Grip and Mechanism for Automatically Releasing or Ungripping the Same, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

The invention has for its object to provide means for gripping an endless cable, and also for automatically releasing the grip from the cable at any prearranged point.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side view of the grip; Fig. 2, an end View of the same; Fig. 3, a sectional plan of the same; Fig. 4, a

vertical section of the same through A B, as

shown on Figs. l and 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the same through M N, as shown on Figs. l and 3. Fig. 6 is a view of the grip and the automatic mechanism for releasing the same. Fig. 7 is another View of the grip attached to the car.

Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.

C is the surface of the street or road.

E is the excavation in which the cable D runs under C.

F is the slot or'open space between the plates G G, through which the grip is connected with and operated from the car,

D is the cable.

I-I is one of the jaws ofthe grip, and I is the other jaw of the grip.

S S are the rods orbars which transmit motion to the jaw I from the car through means of the link Q, pivoted to I at K and to S at K.

K and K are pins or shafts.

t is an inclined plane upon. I.

M is a spring fastened to H and pressing upon any part of I, which presses t upon a lug or projection s on which t slides.

S S are plates or rods which are connected to a truck which is fixed by any suitable means, preferably with springs, to the carbody or its truck, and to which the jaw H is rigidly affixed.

X Y are guides for S S on S S.

Z is the car traveling on rails .la parallel with and on each side of F.

y y are slots cut in S S at convenient positions, in which the ends R R of Q Q work.

The jaw I-I is rigidly attached to or forms part of the bars or plates S. This jaw H has the part of its surface which comes in contact with the cable curved concavely to correspond to the convex surface of the cable when the same are in contact. 'Ihe other jaw I of the grip is movable, and has two motions, one lateral, in the direction of the plates o1' bars S S, and the other rotary, as hereinafter explained. The gripping-surface of jaw I is curved concavely to correspond to the convex surface of the cable when the saine are in contact.

Through I is a shaft K, fitting into a cylindrical hole or bearing made thereinin a direction parallel with its gripping-surface, and this shaft can be eitherloose therein or it can be keyed to the jaw I. The shaft K has bearings A in the jaw H, or, if preferred, the bearings may be upon arms rigidly connected with the bars or plates S S. These bearings are vertically of the size of the diameter of the shaft K, resting upon the bearings, and longitudinally they are of a length sufficient to permit a lateral motion of the jaw I from its position when the cable is ungripped to its position when gripping the cable.

At suitable posi-tions (shown at O O) there are slots in the jaw I, permitting the ends P of the levers Q to be loosely attached to the shaft K. The other ends of the levers Q Q are attached to the guide which is fastened to the rods or bars S S, which pass through the opening F to the car above, either directly or to another lever T, to be operated by a person upon the car. The guide af runs upon the plates S S', or upon independent bars rigidly connected with the car. The leverT is provided with a pawl u, pivoted to T at a, which when' the lever is in use is in contact with the periphery of a curved stop-piece NV, concentric with the pivot upon which T works, and ratcheted upon the periphery o is a spring' holding the pawl u upon the ratcheted surface. This pawl a has an arm b, projecting from T in a direction opposite from the end of the pawl engaging with the ratchet, so that by pressing upon b the pawl revolves upon a and releases it from the ratchet. Besides this there will be of course the ordinary arrangement for releasing the pawl by hand by means of a handle orlever. Then the lever T is drawn back so that the jaws grip the cable, the arm h of the pawl u engages with or is inserted in an opening e of the rod d, which passes down through F to the lever e, pivoted at fte the plate S'. The bar d is pivoted to the lever e at g.

Projecting from the lever c is an arm 7L in such a position that it comes in contact with a projection t', placed in any desired position in the excavation E. This projection is preferably made of a semi-elliptical shape, butit may be made in a straight line from the point of contact of the arm 7L downward, or in any curve suitable for the purpose. The lever e is also made of such a shape that a portion m' of it comes in contact with a5 when 7L is depressed, or with any other portion of I or its connections, by means of which thc grip may be loosened. The lever (Z is held up in position by the spiral spring K or seine other equivalent device upon the car or upon the parts of the gripping mechanism connected therewith. l

The operation of my invention is as follows: The car Z being stationary upon the tracks 2 s, the car conductor pulls the lever T, which raises the rods or bars S S, and thereby draws the ends R of the rods Q upward, and through PP, acting on the shaft K, draws the jaw I in a lateral horizontal direction, and at the same time the jaw I has a rotary motion imparted to it by its inclined surface t being drawn upon the projection s. These two motions being the gripping-sur face of the jaw I first in contact with the cable and then taking the cable with it, the jaw I presses the cable against the gripping-surface of the jaw II and the grip is complete. lVhen the lever T has been drawn until the grip is made, the pawl n drops into the ratchet upon XV, and the arm h of the pawl becomes inserted in the opening c of the rod d. The car having traveled until it has arrived at a place where an obstruction t' is placed, the arm 7L of the lever e comes in contact with t', and the lever e is thereby depressed, and movin g upon its pivot f draws down the rod d by means of g, and thereby the arm l) of the pawl u is depressed, and through the pivot a disengages the pawl a from the ratchet a', and thereby releases the lever T, which moves back toits original position, and thereby releases the obstruction to the ungripping of the grip, which is effected by a part m' of e pressing down upon fr," or upon other portion of the jaw I or its connections, as hereinbefore explained.

The jaw II can be made of any desired length laterally from the plates S' to correspend with the position of the cable, and by this means the cable instead of being directly under F can be placed at any desired distance from a vertical line running through F on either side, and the cable will not have dropped upon it the water and dirt which falls through F.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the jaw H, having bearings A', with the jaw I, shafts K K', links Q, and plates S, springs lll', and lugs s, all as described.

2. The combination of the cable l) and jaws II and I, shafts K K', lugs s, springs M', and plates S, all as described.

The combination of the jaw Il', having bearings A', shaft K, and jaw I, and cable I), all as described.

l. The combination of the jaw II, having bearings A', shaft K, jaw I, lugs s, springs M', and cable D, all as described.

5. The combination of the jaws 1I and I, cable D, links Q, and plates S, all as described.

(3. The combination of the jaws II and I, cable D, links Q, plates S, and guides S', all as described.

7. The combination ol the car Z, guides S', plates S, jaws II and I, links Q, shafts K K', and cable D, all as described.

8. The combination of the obstruction levere, cable D, and jaws Il and I, all as described.

9. The combination of the obstruction fi, lever e, plates S, guides S', jaws II and I, bearings A', shafts K K', links Q, lugs s, and cable D, all as described.

IO. The combination of the pawl u, ratchets a3, lever T, plates S S, guides S' S', jaws I-I and I, bearings A', shafts K K', links Q, lugs .5, and cable D, all as described.

ll. The combination of the pawl n, ratchets cc, lever T, plates S, guides S', jaws II and I, bearings A', shafts K K', links Q, lugs s, lever e, rod d, cable D, and obstruction fi, all as de scribed.

l2. The combination of the car Z, jaws ll and I, cable D, and lever e, all as described.

EMIL SCIIALK. \Vitnesses:

HENRY ARDEN, Lno IIARBUYER.

IOO 

